Mel2006

After setting up camp some of the scouts decided to take a midnight hike down into the valley.

A photo taken as they headed to the four rifle ranges that were set up in the valley.

For lunch Mr. King cooked some delicious burgers & hot dogs. Mrs. Wolf had provided a few large trays of macaroni & cheese to heat up. There was a wide variety of chips, dozens of delicious homemade cookies (from Mrs. Wolf) and bug juice.

Some of the scouts headed back down to the rifle range, while the others just roamed around and enjoyed the great outdoors.

Before dinner, the troop carried out a flag disposal ceremony. Over 400 old U.S. Flags, collected from the Wheaton community during the past year, were disposed of in a reverent manner.

"Chicken & Dumplings" was the main course for Saturday dinner. Clara Wolf, a well know caterer in the Wheaton area, created this whole dinner in advance of the trip. We just heated the Chicken on low heat for a few hours, then added dumplings on top during the last twenty minutes.

Shirley Hendrickson sent pies for the scouts to enjoy during the crackerbarrel fire Saturday night.

Mr. T. was unfortunately not able to make this trip and play "Dueling Jokes" with Mr. Pearson. Mr. T's son took his place and brought along the collection of jokes. The SPL distributed many dozens of Mr. Pearson's jokes for the scouts to read aloud to each other.

First thing on the agenda Sunday was to get the fire started and hot chocolate & coffee brewing.

A heartfelt thanks goes to the team of scouts who created over 200 donuts Sunday morning. There's nothing like hot donuts and hot chocolate on a cold morning. The scouts experimented with various fillings for the donuts

Mel showed the troop some old artifacts, ranging from an old fashioned cow bell to a special device that was used to catch chickens. The scouts then heard a lesson on how to properly clean a rifle from Mr. King.

(In order to get a good shot, we usually photograph the group with half the scouts standing on a bench as the rest stand in front of them. We might have had a few too many donuts for breakfast.

On the way back to Wheaton the troop stopped at Culvers. We were back in Wheaton by 5:15 PM.

It takes the combined effort of many people for a trip this big to happen. With this in mind, Mr. Pearson would like to thank:

Jack Williamson (Committee member/former Troop 374 Scoutmaster) and Wallie Caudill (committee member) for pulling the trailer and spending the weekend with at this campout with the scouts. This troop is truly blessed to have the talents of seasoned professionals who are always eager to serve.

Asst. Scoutmaster Mary Becker for significant behind the scenes help with the detail work.

Asst. Scoutmaster Mark King for driving, cooking during lunch, teaching the scouts cleaning techniques and helping with supervision at the ranges. He remedied a problem that occurred during lunch and saved the day.

Assistant Scoutmaster Tom Maude for driving and taking a good number of photos.

Harold Reed (grandfather of one of the scouts) for driving and assisting at the rifle and shotgun ranges.

Clara Wolf, who created a delicious Chicken & Dumpling Saturday evening dinner, many dozens of homemade cookies and Mac & Cheese for lunch. She prepared everything in advance and sent it along with instructions.

Mark Palan, a DNR gun expert (who owns the local shop in Wisconsin) who has provided expertise to Troop 374 each year we've been there. He graciously supplied ammo to the troop at a discounted price.

Derald Hickcox, a former NRA instructor who oversaw the firing ranges and gave some important, yet humorous tips. (Quote for the weekend: You should have a good recipe for everything you shoot.)

Shirley Hendrickson, who prepared Apple, Cherry and Pumkin pies that were warmed up and totally consumed during crackerbarrel Saturday night.

And most importantly to Mel Hendrickson, the grandfather of one of the scouts, who eagerly granted our troop the use of his land for this campout. He also set up the rifle ranges, supplied water, propane, and so many other countless blessings that they are too numerous to count.

And to the parents of the scouts. Each one of you does so much behind the scenes to support your scouts. Without that, none of this could happen.

This trip was organized by Dan Pearson

Last updated or reviewed 05/07/2007 11:29 AM - Please use the back arrow of your browser

	As the scouts reverently folded that flag one last time, former Scoutmaster Jack Williamson shared the story about Taps.
See this link to read those words:		TAPS